The Last Target (11 page)

“W
hat was that?” Rachel asked, clutching Aidan to her.

Jack rose to his feet and pulled out his gun. “I’m not sure.”

“Is Denton okay?”

“I hope so.”

Jack didn’t fool her. She could see the worry in his eyes, in tight lines on his face, in the way he held his gun poised to fire.

Rachel waited. Minutes felt like hours. Had Apaka killed Denton? Were they coming for them now?

Denton’s face flashed in her mind.
Not Denton, Lord. Keep him safe. Please.

A moment later, Jack stepped away. Was he about to go into battle? What did he see?

“Denton,” he muttered. “What happened?”

Thank You, Lord.

Denton staggered into sight, gasping as if out of breath. Smudges of dirt marked his face and his pant leg was torn. He shook his head and then smiled. “I got them. All of them. I think we’re safe to keep going.”

“Good work.” Jack patted him on the back. “How many?”

“Four.”

“Are you sure there are no more?”

“I’m fairly certain.”

Jack glanced back at them. “Are you ready to keep moving? I’d like to be out of the forest before sunset.”

Rachel nodded and turned to Aidan. “Are you ready to be invisible again?”

Finally, the danger seemed to be behind them. At least that’s what Rachel told herself. She hadn’t seen anything suspicious or been pushed to the ground for fear of losing her life in the past two hours. Perhaps Denton really had taken down all of the operatives.

“How much longer?” Aidan asked.

“Not much longer, Aidan.” She hoped that was the truth. The woods seemed endless, though. She hadn’t seen a car or a road or a building since they began their trek through these foothills.

“We should be close to town now. We’ll get a car there and keep moving.”

Rachel nodded. In other words, they’d keeping running.

How much more could she take? Her foot tangled in a vine and she hurled forward. Jack paused and grasped her arm. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, fighting tears. “I think I may have sprained my ankle. I don’t know.”

Jack looked up at Denton. “Here’s what I want you to do. Go into town and get a vehicle for us—buy it, rent it, I don’t care. We’ll be waiting on the side of the road for you. Call my cell phone when you’re coming. You’ll make much better time without us with you. Besides, it’s going to take a while for us to get to the street.”

“Got it.” Denton hurried off into the woods.

“I’m sorry, Jack.”

He set Aidan down and bent down beside her. “Don’t be sorry, Rachel. None of this is your fault.”

“Or is it all my fault?”

He gave her a stern glance. “You know better than that.” He felt around her ankle. “Nothing’s broken.”

She wiped her cheek, hating how emotional she was getting, especially in front of Aidan. “Can you help me stand?”

He nodded and took her hands into his. Gently, he pulled her to her feet. She put some weight on her ankle and cringed at the pain that ripped through her. Jack lowered her back to the ground. “It’s definitely sprained.”

“Let’s sit and rest for a moment.”

She wiped her cheeks again. “No, we need to move. To keep going. What if there are more men out there?”

“We can take a moment.”

“Mommy?”

She looked down and saw Aidan’s big eyes assessing her. She saw fear in their depths. “Yes, honey?”

“Are the bad guys still following us?”

Rachel brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I think we lost them.”

“The good guys always win, right?”

She forced a smile. “Right. The good guys always win.”

Aidan seemed satisfied with her answer. He found a stick and began an imaginary sword fight with a tree. Rachel smiled and wiped away the last of her tears…for now.

“Jack, how did they find us?”

“I wish I knew. I suppose they could have slipped a tracking device into something of ours. Maybe even the SUV.”

“And the coloring book? How did that picture get there? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

“Believe me, I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I want answers just as much as you do.”

Rachel tried to remember who had given the book to Aidan. It had been Denton. He brought the book back from the store, along with some food that first night they were here. Could someone have gotten the book between the time
Denton bought it and the time he brought it inside? It didn’t seem likely. But that only left Denton…

She straightened. Could Denton be one of the bad guys? She found it hard to believe. He seemed so upright and trustworthy with his steady gaze. Besides, Jack trusted him. That said a lot.

But Denton would have had the opportunity to write the message in the coloring book. He could have messed with her purse at Eyes headquarters or even have snuck into her room that night. He could have told Apaka where they were staying.

“Jack?”

He glanced back at her. He looked pale, like he was losing too much blood. Her heart panged at the sight.

“What is it, Rachel?”

“What if Denton has been behind these attacks? He has the means and opportunity.”

He shook his head, his neck muscles straining. “It’s not Denton. I’d stake my life on it.”

“But—”

“Just trust me on this one, Rachel.”

She leaned back against a tree. Trust him. There was a concept. One that wasn’t easy to come by, especially when her life was on the line. But Jack had proven himself trustworthy. She’d try to trust him on this also.

Jack’s cell phone rang and he quickly answered. “Denton, what’s going on?”

When he hung up, Rachel waited for him to explain.

“He’s got a car already. He’s on his way to pick us up. We’re not that far from the road, he said. He’ll be driving a burgundy station wagon. We’ll wait at the edge of the woods until we see it.”

Rachel nodded.

“Are you going to be okay to walk on that ankle?”

She nodded again. If Jack could carry Aidan around with a bullet wound, certainly she could make herself hobble to safety. But as soon as she stood up and felt the pain twist through her, she doubted her bravado.

“Come on. I can help.” Jack slipped his arm around her.

Rachel swallowed, her throat dry at Jack’s nearness. Why did she have to be so attracted to him? And not just physically, either. He seemed to have all of the traits that she admired in a man—loyalty, honesty, a good work ethic. Of course, he worked in a dangerous job. She never wanted to marry someone who could die in the line of duty again. At least, that’s what her logic said. Why did her heart seem to feel differently?

“Aidan, do you think you could walk beside us?” Jack asked.

He nodded, now using his “sword” as a walking stick. He seemed grateful for the chance to get some liveliness out. The boy never seemed to run out of energy.

They slowly crept forward. Eventually, the sound of passing cars mixed in with the background noise of the forest. The closer they got, the more Jack slowed. Finally, Jack called Denton and, before long, a burgundy station wagon pulled off the road not far away.

As they climbed into the car, Rachel couldn’t stop thinking about Denton. What if he were the insider? What if they were playing right into his hands?

Denton couldn’t possibly be responsible for any of this. Jack had known the man since he was a SEAL. Jack considered himself a good judge of character. He couldn’t be this horribly wrong…could he?

But who else could have drawn that picture in Aidan’s coloring book? Jack had sent Denton to the store. Who else could have gotten their hands on that book in the interim
period between Denton buying the book and bringing it to the house?

He glanced in the backseat. Rachel appeared to be snoozing. His arm throbbed but he’d be okay. He’d get it looked at first thing when he arrived at their destination.

“How’d that drawing get in the book, Denton? What’s your theory?”

“I’ve been trying to figure it out also, Jack.”

“Replay what happened the day you bought it.”

“I picked it up at the local Walmart, along with some food and drinks. I took all of those things back to the car and then went to another store across the parking lot to pick up a sandwich. I was gone probably forty-five minutes.”

“Long enough for someone to draw that picture, I suppose.” Jack rubbed his chin, trying to put the pieces together.

“I guess. But how did they know where we were?”

“If I had more time, I would have checked the SUV for a tracking device. It’s the only thing I can think of that makes sense. I can’t believe that someone was in the house with us at Eyes. We monitored the entire property nonstop. To get inside the house would have been next to impossible.”

At that moment, his cell phone rang again. He saw from the caller ID that it was Luke and decided to answer.

“What’s going on?”

“I think I found our insider.”

Jack sucked in a breath, waiting to hear who would be revealed. “Go on.”

“Simon.”

“Simon? What did you find on him?”

“I found some equipment that indicates he put a tracking device in Rachel’s phone. I think he was also the one who snuck into her room that night. I think he’s been giving information to Apaka.”

“Does he have any connections to them? Any motive?”

“We’re still looking into that.”

“Where is Simon now?”

“That’s the other thing. He appears to have disappeared. No one’s seen him since the day you left.”

Jack had checked out Simon himself before he hired him, and then again when he assigned him to guard Rachel’s room. Nothing had stood out. Simon had spent six years right out of high school as the bright shining star of a metropolitan police department. He’d been an honor graduate, won awards with the police department and had always been aboveboard. Could Simon really be in the insider?

“Find him.”

“I’m on it.” Luke paused. “How’s everything going there?”

Jack decided that the only people who would learn what had happened would be the people in this car. “Just fine. Thanks for all of your help there.”

Jack hung up and told Denton what Luke had told him.

“Why would Simon be working for Apaka?”

“That’s my question. Luke is looking into it.”

“Maybe we’ll get some answers soon.”

Jack stared at the road before them, that was now cloaked with darkness. He clenched his jaw. He had a feeling the worst was yet to come.

W
hen Rachel awoke, the sun’s muted morning rays were just beginning to peek over the horizon. She blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out where she was. An old farmhouse stood in front of her and a barn, woods, and cornfields beyond that. In the distance, an older man and woman stepped from the white clapboard house to greet them. Even from where Rachel sat, she could see from their gait that they were surprised to have company.

Rachel sat up in her seat and pushed her hair back from her face, trying to look halfway presentable, at least. Aidan still dozed in the seat beside her. Had last night been a nightmare? She looked at her legs and saw the scratches and bruises there from their desperate escape. No, it definitely hadn’t been a nightmare.

Jack turned around from the front seat, exhaustion showing in his eyes. “We’re here.”

Rachel blinked as she tried to comprehend the new surroundings. She, at the moment, couldn’t even remember how long they’d been on the road or in what direction they’d been headed. “Where’s here?”

Jack smiled. “You’ll see. Hop on out and I’ll introduce you.”

She slipped from the car, stepping tentatively on her ankle. She winced with pain and leaned against the car for
balance for a moment. Jack rounded the vehicle just as the older couple reached them.

“Rachel, I’d like for you to meet my mom and dad.”

Rachel’s eyes widened, her pain temporarily forgotten. “Your mom and dad? Wow.” She extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too, Rachel, though this is all quite a surprise.” Mrs. Sergeant’s eyes went to Jack’s shirt. Blood covered his sleeve and a makeshift bandage had been tied around his biceps where he’d been shot. “What happened, son? You’re hurt.”

Jack looked down at his arm and shrugged. “It’s nothing. Just a little scratch.”

“It’s hardly a scratch. He needs to have the wound treated ASAP.” Rachel gave Jack a pointed look. He was so busy watching out for everyone else that someone had to watch out for him. Rachel accepted the position…for now. How could she not? The man had saved her life more times than she could count.

Mrs. Sergeant, a petite woman in her sixties with short, straight hair, nodded in agreement. “I can fix that as soon as we get inside.” She looked beyond Jack and smiled warmly. “Denton, good to see you again, despite whatever circumstances might have brought you this way. Who’s the little guy in the backseat?”

Rachel placed a hand on Aidan’s leg. “This is my son, Aidan.”

“It’s always good to have children around here. Doesn’t happen often enough.” Mrs. Sergeant waved her hand in a circle and stepped toward the house. “Come on inside. I’ll get you something to eat, and, Jack, I’ll get you sewed up. Then you can explain what this visit is about. I have a feeling it isn’t because you’re homesick for your old Mom and Pops.”

Rachel tried to take a step forward but stopped as pain coursed through her. She reached for something to hold on to.

Aidan’s big, saucer-like brown eyes locked on her. “Mommy? What’s wrong?”

“My ankle’s just a little sore. Mommy twisted it last night.”

Jack slipped an arm around her waist. “Let me help.”

His proximity sent shivers through her. She wished getting rid of her feelings for him was as easy as turning a switch on and off. Instead, her feelings felt more like the Apaka operatives who were chasing them—like something she’d never be able to lose.

Inside the cozy home, Mrs. Sergeant propped Rachel up in a recliner and placed an ice pack on her ankle. Then she turned to Jack and stared at his blood-soaked shirt. Rachel could only imagine how seeing that much blood on her son made her feel. Rachel knew how she’d feel if it had been Aidan hurt—no matter his age.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the doctor, son?” Mrs. Sergeant removed the cloth around Jack’s biceps.

“I’m fine,” Jack said. “I’m sure you’ll do a better job than they would anyway.”

“He was always getting hurt as a youngster,” Mrs. Sergeant said, pulling out some antibiotic. “He always had this adventurous spirit that ended up getting him in trouble. Not serious trouble. Just some broken bones, cuts and scrapes. In other words, he was all boy.”

Rachel smiled. That seemed to describe Aidan pretty accurately also. Rachel always said that God gave her a boy to toughen her up, because Aidan was so often fearless and daredevilish.

Aidan climbed into her lap at that moment, his demeanor showing that he soaked everything in. “Do the bad guys know we’re here, Mr. Jack?”

Jack and Rachel exchanged a look, while Mrs. Sergeant raised her eyebrows in obvious curiosity. Jack winced as his mother poured some hydrogen peroxide on his wound. “No,
Aidan. We’re safe for now. You don’t have to pretend to be invisible for a while yet. Have I told you yet what a great job you did with that yesterday?”

Aidan nodded, his eyes beaming with pride.

“Do I even want to hear this story?” Mrs. Sergeant shook her head.

“Probably not.”

She placed some bandages over the wound and patted her son’s arm. “That’s just fine with me. How about if I fix everyone some breakfast instead?”

Breakfast sounded perfect to Rachel. Just the mention of it caused her stomach to rumble. Aidan scurried into the kitchen after Mrs. Sergeant, asking if he could help her cook. Rachel took the opportunity to close her eyes for a moment.

She liked the feeling of Jack’s childhood home. That’s exactly what it felt like—a home. It exuded warmth and love and memories. For a moment, her heart longed for her own childhood home. Being there meant nothing without her mom and dad, though. It just brought back sad memories of their early passing.

Breakfast consisted of biscuits and gravy, eggs and bacon. Better yet, it was full of lighthearted conversation. Jack’s parents obviously knew Denton and practically treated him like a son. Rachel mostly stayed quiet and let everyone else do the talking. She tried to forget the events of the past week and pretend everything was normal, but she couldn’t.

She knew it was only a matter of time before Apaka found them here. Then they’d be on the run again. Where would they go next? When would they ever stop? Would she ever have a home like this one where she felt safe and loved again?

Rachel looked away from the food she pushed around the plate and saw Jack studying her. She tried to smile and reassure him she was fine, but she couldn’t. Instead, she cleared her throat and pushed her plate back, her appetite
gone. “Would it be okay if I got cleaned up? I think a shower would do wonders for me right now.”

“I’ll keep an eye on Aidan,” Jack said, his gaze still on her. “The bathroom’s right down the hallway.”

Mrs. Sergeant rose. “Let me pull out a few things for you.”

Rachel hobbled to the shower and gratefully accepted the sweatpants and T-shirt that Mrs. Sergeant offered. She wished she could wash away her problems like she washed away the dirt covering her. The grit reminded her again of their narrow escape.

After her shower, she pulled on the clothes Mrs. Sergeant had left for her and opened the bathroom door, watching as steam invaded the hallway. Her ankle was feeling a little better now, and she could put a little weight on it. She began her hobble through the hallway back to the family room. She paused around the corner when she heard Aidan’s voice drifting across the house.

“Mr. Jack?”

“Yes, Aidan?”

“I don’t want you to leave. Ever. I like you.”

Rachel leaned against the wall, her heart nearly pounding through her chest. She held her breath, waiting for Jack’s response.

“I’ve really liked getting to know you better, too, Aidan.” Jack’s voice sounded full of warmth. “We’ve had a lot of fun together, haven’t we? Going fishing, playing superheroes?”

Tears popped to Rachel’s eyes. She’d thought about how she would feel when Jack was no longer a part of her life. She’d be devastated. But Aidan had become more attached than she’d realized. He’d begun looking at Jack like the father figure he longed for.

Rachel should have been more careful. She should have seen this coming, should have protected her son more and tried to prevent him from becoming attached.

“Will you teach me to play baseball one day? When I get back to my house? I even have a bat. Mommy isn’t very good at sports.”

“Oh, she’s not? I thought your mom was good at anything she wanted to be good at.”

Rachel could hear the tease in Jack’s voice.

“I’d love to teach you to play baseball one day, little man. Baseball used to be one of my favorite sports when I was growing up.”

“Mr. Jack?”

“Yes, Aidan?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Aidan.”

Rachel closed her eyes and let her chin drop to her chest in dismay. Her heart felt warmed by the possibility that Jack could possibly be there for Aidan, and wary that perhaps he was making empty promises.

Jack had made it clear that he was just doing his job. The feelings that she thought Jack had for her—that she’d thought she’d seen in his eyes—were all wrong. That meant that when this was all over, Jack would be out of their lives. It was for the best, she reminded herself. Rachel didn’t want to ever get involved with someone with Jack’s job description again. She wanted someone whom she didn’t have to worry about getting killed on the job.

She stepped around the corner and spotted Jack and Aidan playing a game on his smartphone on the floor. She cleared her throat. “Aidan.”

Her son looked up just as Jack saw her and stood. The way he stepped forward made her think he wanted to talk. Not now. She needed space right now.

“I just beat Mr. Jack at another game of Tic Tac Toe on his phone,” Aidan announced proudly.

Rachel smiled. “Come on. We need to get you changed. Let’s give Mr. Jack some time alone.”

“But I’m not finished with the game yet!”

“We’ll finish it later. Come on. You need to hop in the bath.” She glanced up at Jack and hoped her look made it loud and clear that she didn’t appreciate empty promises.

Jack could tell from the glare Rachel gave him that she’d overheard the conversation Aidan had brought up. His heart plunged.

He’d meant the things he told Aidan. Aidan was such a good kid, and Jack could so easily picture himself helping the boy learn how to play baseball or to catch a football. More than picturing it, Jack knew that he wanted to do those things. He wanted to be there for Aidan…and for Rachel.

As Aidan scurried away, Jack started to stop him, to ask Rachel if they could talk. But it was obvious she wasn’t in the mood right now. Besides, he had to touch base with Luke and to formulate his next move. His parents had cleared out of the house to give them some space. His mom had left for town to buy some supplies, and his dad had escaped outside to do some work. Meanwhile, Denton had set up base in the dining room and was busy playing catchup after their escape yesterday.

He joined Denton at an old laptop that Jack’s dad let them use.

“I just talked to the FBI. They’re searching the vice admiral’s house right now for clues. All the bodies were gone when they got there, however.”

“Gone?”

“Someone took time to clean up.”

Jack rubbed his chin. If the FBI could have ID’d those men, it might have led the authorities to their cell. Whoever was behind this plot knew what they were doing. They were
smart. They’d figure out Rachel and Aidan were here in a matter of days, if not less.

He had to come up with his next plan of action. He had a feeling that the days of Apaka toying with them were over. When they found Rachel again, there would be a straight-out attack, no holds barred. Jack had to figure out a way to keep them safe, whatever the cost.

Just then, Jack’s cell phone buzzed. He looked down at the number and saw that it was the vice admiral. He braced himself for the upcoming conversation.

“Jack, where are you?”

“Apaka found us at your residence, sir. We had to escape. We’re at a safe location—for now. I don’t plan on staying in any one place too long, however.”

“How are Rachel and Aidan?”

“Shaken and scared, but okay.”

“Any idea how they found you?”

“We’re looking into it now, sir. One of the guards at Eyes is missing. We believe he may have been working for Apaka. Luke is searching for him now. We believe he may have been the inside leak and that he planted a tracking device in the cell phone I gave to Rachel.”

“We got another letter addressed to Rachel.”

Jack tensed. “What did it say?”

“It said, ‘You can run, but you can’t hide.’ It had the same powdery substance inside, so of course we had to have it tested for anthrax. It was clear. Just a hoax. But I have a feeling the threat behind it isn’t.”

“I plan on keeping Rachel and Aidan safe, sir. I’m willing to give my life if I have to. We’re hoping that once Simon is found we’ll get some answers.”

“You realize that Apaka is probably on the trail to you now.”

“I’m just going to let Rachel and Aidan rest for a bit. Then we’re gone again, sir.”

“Keep me updated.”

Jack hung up just in time to spot Rachel standing in the doorway, her eyes as big as saucers. “What’s going on?” she asked.

Before he could answer, his cell phone buzzed again. Luke. He held up a finger to Rachel, asking her to wait. He’d been trying to get in touch with Luke all morning.

“You’re not going to like this,” Luke started.

“What is it?”

“We found Simon.”

“And?”

“He’s dead.”